Awesome camera, takes excellent pictures and it looks stunningly beautiful and appealing, wherever i go people inquire about it.....and the pictures that i take with it never disappoints. I read about many people talking about it strange barrel lens that makes holding it difficult but i believe it is very well designed and it fits in comfortably in my hands.....battery life is just awesome, it just keeps on going and going.....response time(after u click) is bit slower but much better than many other digital camera which i have seen, unless u think that u will be very often in a position where u really need to take real quick pics, this camera should do the job for u.....if one have to write about this camera's great features it will easily extend to many pages....gist of all is this a beautiful camera which takes stunningly beautiful shots-no matter what the conditions are and erybdy in my famly loves it....GREAT CAMERA!!!!!!!!

Not as good as their 8 megapixel camera, but still good value for an amateur. For most people, the difference between the two resolutions won't be noticed. The camera has many of the features of it's high-priced brother, and still has the same flexibility of letting you decide how much control to exercise over exposure and focus.

I LOVE this camera! It is quite easy to use right out of the box; but your pictures just get better and better as you read the manual and learn to do all that this camera is capable of! I get great pictures up to 11x14 and beyond. People are always stunned by how crystal clear my portraits are and how wonderful the colors come through.

My one caution is be careful with the zoom. If you do not turn off the digital zoom, you can use it without realizing you are using it and your pictures can be somewhat grainy. When I turn the digital zoom off, I get amazingly clear pictures every time. I bought this camera with a package of lenses and other accessories for $1,500 so I would definitely recommend it at this new LOWER price!

I have been using the camera about for 2 years. Excellent quality of pictures, excellent quality of printed big size photos, wonderful optics - all of these are true (I'm a very picky person for quality of photos). But once I found myself in situation when this camera was virtually useless. I needed to take pictures of fast moving objects in low light condition. It was a dancing competition. That was only a case when I could not make any satisfactory pictures with SONY DSCF717 camera.

I've owned this camera for over a year now. I'm in the advertising business and if you could work with prints under 9 x 12 at high resolution this is a great equipment for you. Good resolution, GREAT color output, decent flash coverage, and night framing in low light situation is simply a picture saver.

Just one significant con. If you need to take quick situation pictures in low light situations or places where there are several alternate light sources, be patient... it might simply never take the shot. Heard this same commentary from a colleague who owns the newer version of this camera, the Sony DSC-F828 8MP. I have lost some great shots in graduations and weddings just because it didn't focus well, even though the Hologram AF feature is constantly on and subjects are just a few feet away.

Overall it is simply a superb equipment and I have capture memorable images with it, but lost one star due to this frustrating glitch.

After 2 years of great performance and over 5000 pics taken, camera started taking blurry, like in thick fog covered pictures. No matter what mode, pics are unusable.

Unfortunately, my problem is not covered by recall, so Sony rep told me. Somehow they were able to estimate repair cost over the phone ($ 185). I didn't expect my camera to quit working after two years, that is why I chose well known brand and paid lot of money for it. I am not paying for repair. At the moment, working F717 is worth about $300, so it doesnt make sense to invest any more money into it. I am very dissapointed with Sony and I understand that they don't really care about loosing one customer, after all they have so many...

I am doing research for new one, so far Olympus E300 looks very good to me. Can get it for about $600 fairly equiped.

Good luck to all F717 owners. See you later with different brand :-)

Martin

I wrote a review for this equipment back in August 2004 and awarded it a decent share of stars, but felt compelled to change my rating and update my review after I read, just now, Martin Valka's review.

After a little over two years of use the same mysterious fog appeared all of the sudden on my pics. This problem degenerated rapidly into completely washing out my pictures in a couple of minutes. At first I thought it was a problem with a fogged up lens, then the flash... But after a few shots I just lost hope. Even the LCD viewer faded away too.

I contacted Sony as Martin did and again was frustrated by the cost of the repairs. I even asked them if someone had reported this problem previously and, of course, they had never heard of it, which I now seriously doubt. This is why I am re-rating this equipment now with 2 stars, one for every year she worked properly.

As I said in my previous review, be aware of the procrastinating mode this camera kicks into when taking quick shots under low light situations (you might never take the shot) and now with the spooky white fog special effect that appears in every picture after two years of use.

So, bottom line... If you are planning to own a magnificent camera for JUST 24 months... This is the camera for you.

I've been eyeing the Sony DSC-F717 for over a year. Finally, I saw a price that I wanted to pay and it was gone in an hour. So I went on line to research the difference between the F707 and the F717. I recommend the following site to review new and used cameras:

http:\\www.dpreview.com

If you are buying a camera at all, I recommend that you print out the review and keep it as a reference to compliment your user manual. There's a lot of techie details that maybe over your head but you can spot 'info how to' insites as to the 'aha!' reason why they did that.

Any, how, I decided that there's not that great of a market difference to the two so I bought the older. (I already own a Sony F505 so I know what to expect from the user-format of the swivil lens barrel.)

Here's a few items that you might consider to buy, along with your newer camera:

1. a spare battery or TWO; (the original battery may be worn- out by now.)
2. a battery charger from a third party (the one with the Sony F707 is horrible; you have to charge the battery INSIDE the camera. The second battery is my main battery to the first becomes my backup battery for those extended photo shooting sessions.
3. a daylight filter to protect that expensive coated Zeiss lens. The daylight filter will not hurt the night-shot infrared focusing.
4. a slave flash for those dark backlighted areas. The slave can be held or placed to light area behind the scene; the main flash triggers the slave so there's no wired connection. I modified my old 35mm camera external-flash for this. The slave trigger was bought from a photo-magazine ad.
5. a gadget bag that will hold most of the stuff for your camera. I brought along my camera, charger, batteries, flash and power cables/extension cord for the try-on tests. This is a hit-or-miss effort. I started at the main big-box stores and ended at a Ritz camera store for the camera bag. I usually pack a few extra digital-film (memory sticks) along for the oops; my memory is loaded.
6. most stores for print-it yourself will be a good place to look at your pictures while away from home and away from my PC. (My spouse will not let me take a lap-top while on vacation for fear that I might check into work!)
7. If you must look at your pictures while not near your PC, pickup a Sony CLIE handheld that uses memory sticks. They are great to review your pictures and are cheap since they are no longer made and hardly qualifies as a means of checking into the office.

There, I think I have said enough...

In short: check out www.SonyStyle.com/ccdsettlement.

Three day ago (March 24th, 2006), I got an "important notice" from Sony in my email:

"This notice is to inform you about a proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit titled Bruce Chabansky v. Sony Electronics Inc., (the "Action"), the Court's conditional certification of a settlement class in that Action, and of a hearing to consider the settlement. The Action alleges that certain digital still camera and camcorder models sold and marketed by Sony Electronics Inc. ("SEL"), and manufactured by a separate entity before March 2004, are defective in that they include a component known as a CCD imager that fails at an abnormally high rate causing a blank liquid crystal display ("LCD") screen and electronic viewfinder or causing a distorted image to appear on the LCD screen and electronic viewfinder rendering the camera and camcorder incapable of taking pictures and recording video, respectively. SEL denies these claims, and denies that anyone has been harmed or deserves compensation in relation to these claims. The Court has not made a decision on the merits.

"If you purchased one of the models at issue, at retail, or received one of the models as a gift from the original purchaser, you may be a member of the settlement class ("Settlement Class") that will be a party to a settlement agreement that resolves and forever dismisses the Action. Under the terms of the settlement, members of the Settlement Class are eligible to receive a CCD imager repair-or-reimbursement remedy from SEL under limited conditions. Please see the complete notice of the proposed settlement at www.SonyStyle.com/ccdsettlement or telephone (866) 703-7669 to obtain a copy of the complete notice which includes details regarding the requirements to be eligible for the repair-or-reimbursement remedy and how to receive the remedy if you are eligible. If the proposed settlement is approved by the Court, the person who filed the Action and two others who filed a similar lawsuit in Wisconsin will receive an additional service award of $1,500 each, and the attorneys for the plaintiff in this Action will apply for an award of attorney's fees. These awards and attorney's fees, however, will not affect the relief available to members of the Settlement Class. All claims of the Settlement Class members which were or could have been asserted in the Action based on the facts alleged therein, will be forever released, if this settlement is approved by the Court."

I hope this solves the problems other reviewers have or had. (I haven't had any problem with my camera (yet?)).

A big thank you to Bruce Chabansky and the others who filed the lawsuits!

The DSC F717 has capabilities not mentioned in the product description.

1. The memory stick capability is increased to 1 Gig Byte (according to the revised manual). I recommend getting the 1GB Memory Stick DUO with the Memory Stick DUO adepter since future Sony digital cameras will switch to the smaller Memory Stick Duo. This is already implimented in the Sony DSC H2; which uses the Memory Stick Duo ONLY.

2. This camera now has a hot shoe function so your old 35mm flash can be used. I use my Vivitar electronic Flash that I have used for years for a few test shots and they turned out great.

After 3 years of excellent pictures, I got the white fog.
I read about the faulty CCD and went to Sony Service to get a repair quote.

They called me after 2 days saying my camera was fixed and ready.

The pleasant surprise: Sony has extended the warranty on the lens assy (apparently CCD & Lens is 1 piece).

Invoice Total = 0$.

Way to go Sony!

Very happy with the camera for about 3 years.
It is now dead as it shows white fog on any picture, asny setting.
Sony will not cover that problem even though there is a settlement about the same CCD chip, but not the same problem.

Good bye Sony, Hello other brands.

This was my first digital camera. I have shot more than 12,000 photos with my camera and it never skipped a beat. I even dropped it on concrete (not recommended) and after a few seconds, it came back on and shot thousands of pictures since. It is perfect for someone who wants a step up from the point and shoot, but isn't ready for pro SLR.
The only reason I am not using it now is that I have simply outgrown it. There are some limitations, like continuous shooting, and the ISO is only up to 400, but it has enough features for the common photographer. I shot many horse racing photos and actually sold my prints, so it does adequate high speed and sports. It was a little limited with inside a gym, but the photos were fair. Did excellent portraits and candid shots of people and animals.

If you get the chance to get a good deal on this camera, take it. You won't be disappointed.

I've owned this camera for a couple of years now and it has never let me down. Very durable and long battery life. Has nightshot and takes video's.Takes beautiful still pics and with my sony digital printer, I have alot of great pics. You may not think 5mp's is enough but it really is. It has an e-mail setting so you can take pics that are just the right size for e-mailing. You can print 8and half by eleven pics with no problem, and at the current prices this camera is a steal, I paid a $1000. for mine. So get it and have fun.

I have Purchased this camera 3 years back and still it rocks. My other friends bought other new models arrived in the market and they always compare it with f717. This is really a great camera. Recently i had a problem with the LCD, but sony repaired it for free. Only concern i had was the weight, but with all the good features weight is not a big problem.

With my Sonvy F717 I've taken team fast action photos for three and a half years: lacrosse, softball, baseball, football, and indoor basketball and racquetball. I've also photographed weddings, senior portraits, candid photos, still life, and movies for nature videos and family reunions.
1- outside photos are crisp, even in mid-air, and I can stop the ball!
2- with digital cameras there is a delay - we have to learn to anticiapte the shot.
3- inside fluorescent lights and motion cause blurs. I take constant photos of the action, then sort them at home. I always find great pictures of each player.
4- I've combined my camera with Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Elements. My teams love my end of year videos with music, slides, movie clips and special effects. (just movie clips tend to be boring) I've also created wedding videos, newsletters, wedding and birthday cards, flyers - - we're only limited by our imagination.
5- my son cut out a picture of himself hanging from a limb, and pasted it onto the wing of his grandfather's airplane! It looked real!

I got my 717 in Dec. 2003. in the U.S. I have taken about 5000+ photos, with no problems! 3 days ago, I went to take a pic of my son and the screen looked like a wet painting that ran. I reset the cam. and recharged the batt. and it was still the same. I'm here in Europe right now, so my wife called the big Sony store. The guy said he never heard of this before, but we can send it for service. When we took it to the store the kid said, "sure these have problems" it's costing me approx. $80 just to send it in, and they my or my not charge for the repair. Only now I found all these other stories. So the jury is still out, I don't know what I'm in for? 5 stars for the cam. 1 star for it taking a %&"$

DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA. Although, it is an awesome camera and will take amazing pictures, it will without a doubt break after 2 or 3 years of use for no reason whatsoever. I bought this camera brand new about 3 years ago, and absolutely LOVED it. The pictures were amazing...crisp, colorful etc.

BUT...There are deffective pieces that are used in this camera that have not been recalled by sony. Google it, you'll find plenty of reading material about it.

I used my camera about 3 weeks ago and everything was fine...took it out again about a week later and it would not work. The pictures were over-exposed regardless of any settings I used. This was not user error...I've had this camera for 3 years and used it all the time, I knew this camera about as well as anyone could...the camera just stopped functioning properly. I've given up trying to read online how to fix it. It's a bit out-dated anyways at this point and instead I'm looking at an upgrade. I recommend Canon or Nikon. They may cost more, but at least they'll last.

Hope this helps. It's a shame Sony won't correct their problem...otherwise I'd be upgrading to a new Sony instead of switching brands.

After almost 4 years of use, I had the white fog too. I was concerned after reading some of the reviews that I would have to pay for a repair. I am happy to report that Sony is taking care of all shipping and repair costs! If anyone is having the white fog problem, go to Sony's website and call their customer service number. It only took me 10 mintues to get it taken care of! This has been a fantastic camera. I only gave it 4 stars because it is a little bulky to carry. I think it is worth it for the great pictures it takes!

I bought this camera in March 2003 and it has taken many great photo's. Suddenly, in late 2006, some photo's all had the "white fog" problem and it soon completely failed with all photo's having the problem. I just found out today that this is a known problem and am trying to get a repair. I do like this camera - when it works, it does everything I want in a digital still camera. If I can't get it repaired, then it's bye bye Sony. Wish me luck.

After about 3 years and less than 500 pictures taken my DSC-F717 failed terribly. I never dropped it, never got wet, always stayed in a dry warm place, not to hot not to cold. No one else handled it. Not sure if I can call it a "white fog" problem or else. Last time I was taking pictures it took a long time to get the picture every time and it started having horizontal lines running across the screen without allowing to see anything. Today the camera failed to see an image completely. Some horizontal "ghost" and lines that move across the viewer screen and the screen is completely dark, although the charge minutes remaining indicator is appearing and I can view my taken pictures as well, but when I put it on "take photo" mode, the screen is black with sometimes lines running through it. How do I describe the problem otherwise? It is like if the camera has lost vision completely. It works, charges, takes pictures, but it can not see, the pictures come out either totally dark without any image or with some violet ghost light and no image whatsoever. When I point the camera to an object, the screen is dark or dark with horizontal runnning lines or some violet ghost moving across the screen. Of course, I made sure I removed the cap and etc. I also did RESET and changed the battery, but no help. I'm going to call SONY on this problem. Just wanted to document it here. Even if SONY fixes it for free (have to pay shipping) next time I'll buy a different brand. I'm not taking any chances anymore, had another failed SONY equipment before. Also the quality of images is not so good, this is why I haven't used this camera much. It costed me $1400+ with all the accessories. What a waste of good chunk of money.

Cam started taking foggy pics after three years. Called up Sony and they said it was something about a lens out of line and they would repair it totaly free(shipping as well). Pretty good customer service on Sony's side.

I bought a Sony DSCF717 as a present for myself just after my divorce about 6 years ago. Since that time I have taken literally thousands of pictures, some of which just blow me away. It's a fairly big camera, but I was able to get a fanny pack at WalMart that it fits into just perfectly, along with a wide angle lens I got on ebay that screws onto the lens that comes as part of the camera. The first section of the wide angle lens screws off and what is then left is a macro lens. You are walking along and see an insect on a flower, no problem. You see a hawk on a branch, no problem. Your kid fell asleep in a dim room with a angelic espression, no problem. The thing that struck me with this camera soon after I got it was that you are able to photograph anything in any light situation, including pitch dark. Also, the zoom, even the digital zoom, will take you right up to the subject, and with the Zies lens on there, will give you brilliant pictures. The camera also twists so that you can hold it at your waist and walk around at a party and shoot people up close that barely know you are taking pictures. Also, with the twist of the camera, you don't have to get down on your belly on the ground to get a close up face on picture of your dog in the grass. You can put the camera down there and frame your shot by looking down onto the LCD. I can't sing high enough praises of this camera. However, I am one inch away from getting a Sony A100 right now to have the experience of the newer technology. But I would never consider selling the DSCF717. It may be impossible for any other camera to replace it completely. I see these for sale now for just over $200 if you look around. It's not a snapshot camera, although you can use it like that, but rather a real creative tool with a fantastic lens. Good luck and take care.

I purchased one of the DSC 717's several years ago and this I LOVE this camera. It is still one of the best cameras out there, even though it was made in 2002. I love that I can flip the lens up so I can use this camera like a camcorder. I love the photos it takes in all light situations. It does a great job when I use it as a manual camera or an automatic. The only downside is this is a large camera, so it doesn't fit in your pocketbook (unless you have a LARGE bag). To me I'd rather it be large than miss out on all the great features it has. My camera goes with me everywhere. Thanks to Sony for making such a great product.

I too have had this camera for 3 years exactly and have the same problem it suddely went black. I would do all the functions but the picture would turn out black no matter what I did. I called a couple of places and they told me to replace the battery and reset the camera and neither worked for me either. I am very dissatisfied with this camera and Sony. I am now forced to buy a new camera because of the rediculious cost to fix my camera. I am going with the Nikon I have not heard any bad issues with these cameras. I own a 35mm and love it. It takes excellent pictures, but I require a digital because of the kids and it may take 10 tries to get a good one. Anyway I will never buy sony agian!!!!!

After four years of enjoying the ease and superb quality of this camera I am mourning its demise. Yes, after four years of being left in cars (feezing nights, Phoenix days)being abused by our now 4 year old son, being dropped, banged and even taken apart a few times it has finally bit the dust. (by the way I don't recommend subjecting any of these abuses to your own personal camera). We have stopped paying large sums of money to portrait studios for family pics and even had many pics with this camera published in two local newspapers and our city brochure. All of our family and freinds used to request that we bring our camera to any and all events as the pictures produced were quite fantabulous. My husband has photographed many bugs, spiders and even a book worm within an inch with clear detail so he can then research and identify them. I am sorry that Sony has discontinued this model. In my search for something that equals this one-of-a-kind, I have purchased the Sony DSC-H9 which even though sports 3 whole megapixals more cannont even come close to the quality I am used to with the DSCF717, so I have returned it. So on with my trek to find something simple to use, within price and with the same awesome quality I have enjoyed from this camera. Fare thee well loyal DSCF717, you will be missed.

I bought mine back when most of the reviews (below) were written - back in in December 2002. I paid about $700 for mine at the time and have taken thousands of superb quality photos with this camera. so why write a review now?

Since it is still listed for sale there are a couple of things to point out that a buyer should know:

A big issue for digital photography back in 2002 - was the 1/2-1 second photo delay between pressing the button and the shutter actually releasing. Any parent out there knows how critical that 1/2 a second can be when it comes to capturing a child at play or that tender moment when siblings give each other a hug. They are gone in an instant - so you'll need to take that into account when taking pictures.

Another issue is a flaw that Sony has with the CCD chips in these cameras. What would happen is the LCD display would start to show static or frequency distortions. These distortions would show up on the photographs. There was actually a class action lawsuit against Sony to repair the CCD chips in cameras experiencing this issue. The time frame for the repair according to the suit ended in October 2007 - which is when I started to experience the issue with my camera. But Sony has extended the free repair until September of this year. Mine is currently in a UPS box on its way to Sony for repair.

So if you are looking to buy this camera - verify that the CCD chip has already been replaced - and if not - make sure you send yours in before September 2008.

Despite the repair issue - this camera is still a great buy. Nice to know I could sell mine after nearly 6 years and still get a good price for it.

I like so many others, love this camera, because it does so much, and does so much well. I, also like most others, had to send my camera back to Sony when the CCD element (which is the subject of a recall) went bad. Sony fixed it free of charge, and sent it back, and it has performed flawlessly ever since.
If only it hadn't gone bad on the first day of my 10 day disney vacation with my wife and 4 year old son.
I've used other digital cameras, and without exception I remember wishing I had my camera instead. I still see no reason to upgrade to a newer version yet, and I've taken over 15000 photos with this camera. When the time comes, I'll definitely look at the current model in this line.

This is a great camera, I shoot aircraft and post on line. Pictures look good

My DSCF717 went bad 2 summers ago while taking pictures of my son in a baseball tournament. I went out then next day to get a Nikon D40X, which is a great camera as well. But since then, I've kept my DSCF717 stored away, and it was just on a whim 2 weeks ago when I was thinking what a great camera it is (mainly due to the multi-burst function which is awesome, particularly when taking a batter's swing!). I went online to figure out what the problem was and sure enough it was the bad chip problem! I'd like to mention that Sony has extended the free replacement of this to March 2009! My camera is in repair to Sony right now, and I can't wait to use this camera again.

Years later still going strong. The Optical Zoom is still the strong point of this camera. I have a Nikon digital SLR and Canon 14.7 MP Powershot and this Sony is still my favorite and old reliable. I have taken fantastic photos over the 6 years I have had it. I would never part with it.

LOVE this camera! It is a replacement for one that was stolen and it is just the best.
The seller was a dream to deal with, absolutely fantastic!!!

I bought my F717 in March of 2003. I have taken thousands of pictures, brought it with me on numerous cruises, international treks and domestic vacations. This camera works as well today as it did 6 + years ago and continues to deliver awesome high quality pictures rivaling most cameras in it's price class 5-7 years after it was first introduced in 2002. Probably the best digital camera Sony has ever made, bar none. The Carl-Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens is exceptional. Price out a Vario-Sonnar lens today and you'll see what a value this camera was/ still is. Sure, It would be convenient to take a credit card sized camera with me on my travels, but the quality of pictures would never match the F717. Who needs 12 MP's when you have a Vario Sonnar lens and 5 MP? Maybe I've been lucky, but my F717 works as well now as it did 6 years ago. Highly recommended.

I have had this camera for 5 years, and taken several thousand photos. It is as close to an SLR as you can get. The optics are very good, photos all come out excellent. It's not a compact pocket camera, but then neither is any really high quality camera with a first-class lens. The optical zoom range of 5x is very good and there is no discernible image deterioration at any focal length. The white balance feature is flexible and better than on many much more expensive cameras. The tilting lens-body combination is a great asset and very useful at events where you hasveb to take pictures over other people's heads. I have since added a Nikon D90 to get up to 300 mm; it has 12 MP but I rarely use more than 6.

I got my first Sony f717 in about 2002 after a lot of research and looking at sample pics on Steve's Digicam. I loved that camera and between the two 717's I owned previously I have taken about 27,000 pictures. My dog knocked over my tripod and smashed the first one against a rock. So I immediately bought another. Didn't even consider anything else. This is back when they were still $600. Second one stolen about a year ago. Although wanted to use this excuse to "upgrade", I started remembering how much I liked my 717 and found there are a lot available on ebay and are pretty cheap now. Hmmm... got another one.

There are many features I like about it.
1. Takes really great pictures. Although it doesn't do too well with intense reds occasionally, it more than makes up for it with how well it does whites, esp white flowers and everything else. Rarely a problem anyway. Some of my favorites shots with it were red flowers and leaves.
2. Unbelievably good macro function. You can take incredibly crisp pics almost touching the lens. Autofocus still works great that close. The macro function actually sees much better than I do and it is routine for me to see stuff in picture when on the computer I didn't see when taking the shot. Got some great tiny insects on flowers inadvertantly. Love the macro on this camera, love it! One macro of a rare salmon colored cactus flower is my favorite computer background.
3.Very easy to hold, lens is perfect size to fit in hand. Optical zoom is easy and good.
4. Fast to take pics. While apparently not quite as fast as it's successor the 828, it is still faster now than many new digitals I have used. Makes taking lots of pics of same subject (to luck into a good one) much easily and less frustrating.
5. Takes great night shots. I like to take pictures in the very bright moonlight of the Colorado highcountry.
6. Battery life is superb. Both how many pics per charge and how long they last. Mine never went bad with all those pics.

If you get one, add a UV filter (mainly to protect lens from scratches) and a good circular polarizer for most outdoor shots. Hoya circular polarizer is easy to find on ebay. Also this camera, though point and shoot takes screw on 58mm filters and telephoto etc.

Being a gardener I like to document what grows at different times of the year from miniscule buds to flowers, shrubs & trees. This camera is an easy to use general workhorse for me. Because of the rotating body I no longer need to kneel down in the mud to capture an up close portrait of a snowdrop as it emerges in the spring. I can hold the camera over my head and capture a shot of a flower posed higher than I've grown.

The 5mg image capture size is perfect for the documentation I'm looking for in this context.

It is easy to use, no fuss, no frills.

There are many cameras to choose from since I bought my original DSC F707 but, when I made a major mistake and left in out on the garden bench for a few days in the rain, I was lost without it. My other cameras just didn't fill the bill for this type of work.

So I bought the newer DSC F717, even though it is no longer being manufactured by Sony. That's how much I like the style and simplicity of the camera.

I bought my first f717 new in 2002. I shot tens of thousands of photos all around the world before it essentially pooped out. I liked it so much that I bought a second. And a few years later, a third. The ergonomics of this camera are unparalleled by any modern (2010) camera I am aware of. Holding it by the lens, you can quickly twist the body up or down to get candid people shots (lens up) or above a crowd (lens down). Battery life is superb. Because there's no lens to extend/retract, it comes on quick, and there's little drain for a quick on/off shot or two. It is not unusual to have this camera sitting on a shelf for a few months, and being able to take 50 pictures.

The lens is very fast by modern standards, which allows good low-light performance. Its laser focusing system provides perfectly-focused shots in pitch darkness (with flash of course) and its infrared light source yields usable images in total darkness.

One of its nicest features for the serious photographer is that you can view a live histogram in the electronic viewfinder. Trust it, tweak the exposure to optimize dynamic range if required, and you'll get superb exposures with none of the 'duds' that are common on point/shoots.

btw this is a 'weird' looking camera, which I've found is an advantage in exotic locations, as it doesn't attract attention like an SLR. The camera is light and compact enough to stash in a jacket pocket.